Last week, I did a beef roast, long and slow, over charcoal and wood, until it hit medium rare perfection. Even though I overate when I served it up for dinner, I still had a lot left. Another night I turned it into Chicago style Italian beef.
Ok, I admit, I cheated. Italian beef is supposed to be braised so long that it almost falls apart, and the ‘juice’ is full of that great flavor. Instead, I started at 5:00, and by 6:15, I was eating a very good version of an Italian beef sandwich.
This is a great way to use up leftover roast, and it came real close to the authentic flavor of ‘A beef with hot’. Here’s how I did it. The picture right below is just after I added the liquid, but before it was simmered and reduced.
At least a pound of medium rare roast beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
Olive oil
About a quart of water
1 tablespoon of beef bullion
Teaspoon of flour
Quarter cup of the brine from Peperoncini
2 teaspoons of oregano
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Quarter cup of onion flakes
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Cajun seasoning
Adobo seasoning
Hearth baked hard rolls
Preparation
Heat a large skillet and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped onion and bell pepper strips. Let that start to sweat down. While that is cooking, slice the roast beef as thin as you can, and then cut the slices into strips. Add that to the skillet, along with the oregano, garlic powder, onion flakes, and smoked paprika. Sprinkle on the flour and stir until all the flour and seasonings are well distributed. Add the water, beef bullion, and the brine from a jar of Peperoncini pickled peppers.
Bring that to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and very gently simmer, uncovered, for at least an hour. Taste and adjust the flavor with cajun and adobo seasoning. By now, the liquid should be reduced and very flavorful. You are ready to serve.
Serving
Slice open a few hearth baked hard rolls, and pile on the beef, peppers, and onions. Get some of the ‘juice’ with it. Give the beef a sprinkle of cajun seasoning, and top with some hot giardiniera. Pop open a little Italian red wine, and you are good to go!
